Maria Thorpe

Maria Thorpe (1161-1228) was a high-ranking English noblewoman of the Knights Templar who later defected to the Assassins Order and married the master Altair Ibn-La'Ahad after trying to kill him in Jerusalem in 1191.

Early Templar career
Maria Thorpe was born in England to a rich, upper-class, noble family that owned their own land. Thorpe was a tomboy and chose not to act in a womanly fashion, and was punished by her parents and pestered by others.

In 1179 she was forced to marry Sir Peter Hallaton, but she left his company after four years, uninterested in being his wife. An annullment was carried out, and she was forced to live in shame. Rather than stay in England disgraced, she decided to join the Crusaders in the Holy Lands and join the Knights Templar.

Maria was often in the disguise of a man while serving among a religious order consisting mostly of men, and she gained the trust and friendship of Grand Master Robert de Sable, who appointed her as his personal steward. Even after she revealed her gender, she was respected by her comrades.

Meeting Altair
She was trusted so much that she was given the task of assassinating the man sent to kill De Sable during the Third Crusade, a member of the Hashshashin named Altair Ibn-La'Ahad, who had killed eight other Templars. Robert correctly reasoned that he was next and announced that he would attend the funeral of Jerusalem's regent Majd ad-Din as a sign of peace and respect between Christians and Muslims. However, Maria dressed up as him and wore a Great Helm as a disguise so that she could kill Altair.

When the Imam pointed out Altair at the funeral, the Templars and Saracens attacked him, so he ran away, trying to evade them. She tried to attack him, but Altair counterattacked, slashed her chest, and stabbed her throat. Altair took her helmet off and was surprised, and found out from Maria that Robert had fled to join Richard the Lionheart at the Battle of Arsuf in 1191.